Homeschool Credit Hours Calculator (Carnegie Units & Transcript)

How it works

credit = hours ÷ hours-per-credit (120 / 150 / 180) · hours left = credit value × hours-per-credit − hours logged · weekly pace = hours left ÷ weeks · transcript pace = (24 − earned) ÷ years remaining

The Carnegie unit dates from 1906: a credit is a year of a subject taught about five hours a week for thirty-six weeks — roughly 120 to 180 hours depending on how attendance and homework are counted — and it remains the currency of high-school transcripts, so homeschoolers translate their logs into it. Because homeschool time is denser than a classroom period with its transitions, most states and umbrella schools accept 120 to 150 hours, or completion of a standard course regardless of hours. Tracking the hours against the target turns the log into a pace — how much a week to finish by the end of the year — and summing credits across subjects against the 22-to-26 a diploma expects shows whether the four-year plan is on track.

Worked example

A student with 72 hours logged in a full-year course at a 150-hour standard has earned 0.48 of the credit and needs 78 more hours — with 20 weeks left and four study days a week, about 59 minutes a day. With 8 credits on the transcript and 2.5 years to go, they need 6.4 credits a year to reach 24, a normal full load.

Frequently asked questions